Smiling in the Snow
by Reiki Shutuagi
Summary: A man walking down the road home after work meets another; this man was injured and now has no memories. All he knows is that his name is Kurtz. - AU: MalikxKurtz -
1. 1: in the winter

**STORY TITLE: **Smiling in the Snow  
><strong>RATING: <strong>T  
><strong>- <strong>T a l e s of G r a c e s * Malik x Kurtz * -  
><strong>GENRE: <strong>Friendship, Hurt / Comfort, Angst  
><strong>CHARACTERS: <strong>Malik Caesars, Kurtz + Other characters occasionally  
><strong>SYNOPSIS: <strong>A man walking down the road home after work meets another; this man was injured and now has no memories. All he knows is that his name is Kurtz. - AU: MalikxKurtz -  
><strong>NOTICE: <strong>Not really connected to Tales of Graces (hence, Alternative Universe).  
><strong>DISCLAIMER: <strong>I in no way claim ownership over the characters, Tales of Graces, nor the Tales of Series! (I seriously wish I did...) Everything goes to the Tales of Studio and Namco Bandai Games! Please support them by purchasing the Tales of Series Games and the release of games coming back to the US! (*ready for Graces F in English*)

~ - ~ T a l e s of G r a c e s ~ S m i l i n g in the S n o w ~ - ~

"What a day...!" The man stretched his arms down at his sides, winter coat falling off of his shoulders. He walked down the road connecting the main part of the city and the housing district. He smiled as the snowflakes, fresh and cold, falling on his face. "Huh?"

He turned his head to see another man, leaning on the walls protecting the city from the outside monsters. Blood rushing from a wound on his forehead and down his arms. His white gloves stained red and shirt torn. The man ran over and asked, "Are you okay? What happened?"

The man's eyes were dull and his skin was pale, possibly from the cold of winter or from the untreated wounds. The man examined the other further. The wounds looked fresh, blood still seeping out.

"S-Speak!"

"Wh... What's..." The wounded man started, but could not continue. He leaned back on the wall, breathing heavily. The white streak of hair that covered his right eye moving, from and to his face. His breath very visible in the coldness. The other man put his hand out, speaking, "Let me help you."

~in the w i n t e r~

"My name is Malik." The uninjured man took a warm cloth and washed the blood off of the other man's forehead. Malik held up a roll of bandages and asked, "Where is the wound?"

The man lifted up the section of hair that fell over his right eye. There was an open wound over his right eye; on his forehead. It was deeper of a wound in that spot than across the rest of his forehead. Malik let out a sigh and took the cloth again. He cleaned the area as the man held up his hair. Malik took the roll again and wrapped it across the man's forehead. "Looks like the wound was more serious over your right eye. Is that where you were attacked?"

"I do not know." The man answered.  
>"You don't?"<br>The man shook his head.  
>"What are you in this city for?"<br>"I do not know."  
>"How old are you?"<br>"I don't know."  
>"Where are you from?"<br>"I do not know!" The man shouted.

Malik moaned a bit. He started cleaning the man's right arm. "What _do_ you know?"

"My name is Kurtz."

"Kurtz, eh?" Malik put his hand out. "My full name is Malik Caesars. So, I'm guessing that you don't know your way around here?"

"Correct." Kurtz shook Malik's hand, nodding.

"It's a big city." Malik bandaged Kurtz's right arm. He immediately continued to cleaning the left arm. "You won't really be able to get around without someone's assistance." Malik bandaged the left arm. "And you should rest for now."

Kurtz simply nodded.

"Who knows if you've lost anything else." Malik put the bandage roll down. He smiled. "Guess you are lucky I have an empty room. Guest room, I guess." Malik stood up and put the cloth in a basket for laundry and the bandage roll away in a cabinet. He washed his hands in the sink, speaking over the running water. "Being stuck in this city of all places without any memories, not knowing the place, hardly yourself, the likes. Must sucks. Anyways! You can pretty much borrow my stuff."

"...You are a nice man."  
>"I'm just doing what any person should do for another."<p>

Kurtz looked away.

Malik smiled once more and started for the staircase to his right. "You can do what you want out here. I want your wounds to attempt to heal before you clean up."

Kurtz simply nodded. He could hear Malik's footsteps going up the stairs.

_What happened–?_ Kurtz fell backwards and landed on the floor. He felt a sudden strike of pain. His back wasn't bleeding. He immediately figured it was a bruise. The pain vanished a moment after wards. Kurtz stared at the ceiling, no thoughts running through his mind. No questions. A normal person would have been asking any question they could possibly think of, but Kurtz kept silent the entire time, unless Malik was the one asking questions. Even then, he just answered those questions in a few words. He looked at his right hand. It felt like the blood was still there, even though Malik removed his gloves before starting to clean up.

Kurtz closed his eyes. Nothingness. No thoughts. No questions. Just... black. Pitch black. Memories missing. The only things he had were his name... and Malik Caesars.

The man opened his eyes and turned his head. He could see out the large window where Malik left the curtains open. He could see snowflakes, white, frozen water particles, drifting. They fell slowly, some occasionally hitting the window. He could feel the winter's coldness, even inside. He shivered.

Kurtz closed his eyes again. This time he drifted asleep. He felt a sudden lack of energy. Even tough he couldn't remember what happened, he knew his body was deprived of the energy to stay awake.

A little bit later, Malik came downstairs wearing a loose shirt and pants. His hair was also sticking up, definitely needed to be combed. He was speaking to himself, "Feels good to take a hot shower in the dead of winter."

He noticed Kurtz and simply smiled. "He must be cold. It's freezing down here."

Malik walked over to the closet underneath the staircase and pulled a heavy blanket out. He put it over Kurtz's body and spoke again, "What a day...! Maybe I should get some sleep too."

The man started up the staircase and turned the lights out.

"What a day indeed."

- ~ - e n d ~ - ~


	2. 2: The Flakes Falling

~ - ~ T a l e s of G r a c e s ~ S m i l i n g in the S n o w ~ - ~

"Are you alive in there?"

Kurtz opened his eyes to see Malik standing over him. He had his arms folded and a look on his face. But, Malik's expression suddenly changed to a smile.

"Whatever happened, it wore your body out."

Kurtz sat up and noticed the blanket. "Did you put this here?"

"I figured you were freezing."  
>"Why don't you get a kotatsu?"<br>"I have one in one of my extra rooms upstairs that I haven't used in a year or so."  
>"You should go get the table."<br>"I probably should."  
>"Where do you keep your blankets?" Kurtz stood up. "I can get one heavier than this."<p>

Malik pointed to the closet he got the blanket from last night. "They are somewhere in there. There's probably a bunch of lighter blankets in the way, though."

Kurtz tried opening the door. He kicked it and complained, pointing at it, "It's not opening."

"Strange." Malik walked over and tried pushing it and pulling it to the side. "Stupid sliding door! It opened last night when I grabbed that blanket!"

Malik and Kurtz both grabbed the handle and attempted to open it. The door flew open and locked into the wall. Blankets slid off of the top shelf. The blankets buried the two. Kurtz stood up from the mess and complained, "Clean your closet off!"

"It's on my to-do list!" Malik slightly joked.

~The F l a k e s Fa l l i n g~

Malik scratched the back of his head. The blankets were stacked evenly in the closet and the blanket for the kotatsu ready to be set up as soon as Malik grabbed the table. Kurtz folded his arms.

Kurtz walked over to the staircase to grab the table and set it up when Malik pushed him right up the stairs, shouting, "You go take a shower and clean up, I can handle it! Grab whatever you want to wear!"

"M-Malik!" Kurtz yelled. "I can walk!"

As soon as Kurtz was upstairs, Malik stared at the blanket and readied to go up the stairs himself. "I can set it up! You connect it... right...?"

He knew as soon as Kurtz came downstairs, he was going to complain about it being wrong. He would then fix it himself.

Malik walked past the bathroom door to the room to grab the table and heater.

"A-Argghhh!" Malik looked up just as he was going to lean over and pick the table up. He ran down the hallway and opened the door. He saw Kurtz clutching his chest with both hands, standing over the sink. Blood was coming from his mouth.

"Kurtz! What's wrong?" Malik shouted. Before Kurtz even answered he knew it had to do with the attack. "...There has to be poison in your body!"

"How do you know...?" Kurtz struggled to stand but immediately fell to his knees.  
>"Instinct! Stay here, I have something to treat it!" Malik ran out of the room and downstairs.<p>

Blood continued to spill from Kurtz's mouth. He looked up as Malik came back in and handed him a bottle. "Here, this should make the poison go away. Otherwise I have to call Cheria."

Kurtz took it and Malik walked out again. "Tell me if anything else is wrong." Malik shut the door and walked down the hallway to continue what he was about to start before the yell.

As soon as Malik set the table up downstairs he heard the doorbell. He opened the door and saw a boy smiling. His blue eyes shining brightly.

"Asbel! I didn't know you were coming by!"  
>"It's the weekend and I had nothing better to do~" Asbel walked in and Malik shut the door.<br>"I can hear the shower running. Is someone else here?" Asbel asked.  
>"It's complicated..." Malik sighed.<br>"Ehh...?" Asbel gave a look.  
>"Question."<br>"Hm~?"

"Make the heater for the kotatsu work."  
>"That wasn't a question... Why?"<br>"If he comes down here and sees it not on he'll do it."  
>"And?"<br>"Don't ask why..."

Asbel let out a sigh and walked over and worked with the kotatsu. "I can't believe you have no idea how to do this..."

"Not my thing..."  
>"Easy to understand that...!" Asbel started the heater up. "There you go!"<p>

The two looked up when they heard footsteps.

"Malik! It's freezing in here...!" Kurtz growled as he came down the staircase.

"Drying your hair would probably fix part of that~" Asbel commented, noticing that Kurtz's hair was still wet.

Kurtz gave a glare as Asbel sat under the blanket, "Anyways... I love these so much~"

The man sat opposite of him, eyes closed in thought.

Malik left briefly and came back out of the kitchen with a tray of rice balls. He placed the tray on the table and sat down. "About you question, Asbel~ But, first things first, this is Asbel Lhant. Asbel, this is Kurtz."

"Nice to meet you." Asbel smiled and took a rice ball.  
>"Same." Kurtz nodded.<br>"Amnesia, eh?" Asbel asked, followed by taking a bite.

Kurtz looked away. Malik noticed Kurtz didn't want to speak of it himself and answered, "Correct. I was walking home and saw him injured."

"Why were you walking?" Asbel took another bite.

"Crowded trains. I hate the holidays around here. It's especially bad when you are coming home to the housing district." Malik took a rice ball from the tray.

Asbel nodded. "I see. True. It's annoying to get to school from home and vice versa. Trains are crowded, bus rides are annoying, it's too cold to walk home. Anyways... But, he remembers nothing? Absolutely nothing?"

"He said all he knows is his name. And apparently skills because he is better at folding blankets than me." Malik answered with that comment.

Asbel was already up. He opened the closet door under the staircase, sliding it to lock into the wall. The blankets did not fall out this time.

"See...?" Malik let out a sigh.

"I think this is the first time that the blankets have never fallen off of the shelves!" Asbel exclaimed. "It's so amazing!"

"Hey!" Malik yelled.

Asbel nestled back under the blanket again. "It's true you know! You really don't forget an ability to do something you've learned. Especially if you do it well." Asbel took another rice ball.

Malik and Asbel talked about little things. Kurtz simply sat there at the other end of the table and watched the two. He suddenly put his hands to his forehead.

"Kurtz?" Both turned to look at him.  
>"It's probably the wound..." Kurtz stood up.<br>"You look pale." Asbel stood up and walked over to the man.  
>"Upstairs, right now." Malik and Asbel helped Kurtz get up the staircase.<p>

Kurtz leaned against the wall, sitting on the bed in the extra bedroom. His body felt limp. Malik sat on the bed and examined him, "It was probably being out in the cold like you were. You look sick."

Asbel walked out and down the staircase, calling, "I'll come back later, Master! I'll let you take care of him!"

Malik heard the door open and close. He stood up and said, "Just rest."

Kurtz nodded.

Malik smiled and exited the room. He shut the door behind him. "To think it's still morning time. There's still an entire day ahead."

Kurtz leaned against the wall and looked at his hands. To him, it still felt like the stain was there. The stain of blood on his gloves, on his hands. Stained red. Asbel was correct, he did look pale. He looked around the bedroom. It was a small bedroom. The wall the bed is on is the wall where the door is. There was a desk to the left of the door where there was what looked like an unused computer and a computer chair. He looked to his right and saw a door which lead to what is probably a closet.

He turned to look right ahead of him. A large window, curtains open and tied at the sides of it. Kurtz watched the snowflakes falling slowly. It seemed like the snow never stopped in the city. Kurtz could see the sky, as well. Dimmed, dull, gray. The snowflakes were light blobs of white, drifting in the wind.

"I said bed, you know." Kurtz heard Malik from outside. "Snow is boring when there is this much of it."

Kurtz let out a sigh. He rested his head on the pillows on the bed, still looking out the window.

Snow falling. Silence. Peace. Kurtz closed his eyes. Nothingness. But, peace existed. Simply the snow, white particles, falling, flying, scattered, through the air.

- ~ - e n d ~ - ~


End file.
